Motorola Moto X4 is the First Android One Device in the U.S., Available on Project Fi

At the tail end of last month Motorola officially announced the latest phone for their Moto X series: the Moto X4. This was big for fans of the Moto X lineup as Motorola didn’t release a device last year due to the transition they were having with Lenovo. Early this year the folks over at Project Fi were teasing a new hardware partner and a rumor suggested it would be Motorola. Today, Google has officially unveiled that the Moto X4 is the newest smartphone that supports Project Fi, and it’s also the first Android One smartphone for the United States market.

As you may already know, Google’s Project Fi is an MVNO (Mobile Virtual Network Operator) that sources its connectivity from three different wireless providers in the United States. Depending on where you are located and what the signal strength is on your phone, your Project Fi smartphone could connect to three different providers during your car ride to work. Until now, only Google Nexus and Pixel phones officially supported the Project Fi network due to the unique modem it requires, but now the Moto X4 is available for use on Project Fi as well.

Not only will Project Fi be selling the Moto X4 direct to customers, but the model they are offering will be unique. The hardware specifications are exactly the same as the regular Moto X4, so that means you can expect the mid-range Snapdragon 630 SoC, a 5.2″ 1080p display, 3GBs of RAM, and a 3,000mAh capacity battery. The main difference between the regular Moto X4 and the Project Fi Moto X4 will lie in the software.

The Motorola enhancements that so many people enjoy (such as Moto Voice, Moto Access, attentive display, or one-button navigation options) will not be present in the Project Fi version of the Moto X4. Like other Android One devices, the Moto X4 on Project Fi will run Google’s version of Android. It has Android 7.1 installed out of the box, but it is poised to receive Android Oreo before the end of the year, and we’re told it will be “among the first” to receive an update to Android P.

In addition, Google is also providing free unlimited full-quality storage in Google Photos just like they offer with the Google Pixel and Pixel XL. This version of the Moto X4 is currently priced at $399 and is available in black and silver color options.